For the next several years, the Forest Service anticipates a higher than normal tree mortality rate in our mountain communities.

The diagram below simply indicates what is planned in the National Forest that surrounds us. The U.S. Forest Service is in the process of thinning and removing overgrown vegetation and trees from the south border of the town to the mountaintop providing a “Zone of Defense” around the communities of Big Bear Valley.

Let’s look at the environmental effects of an untreated forest. An untreated forest competes for nutrients and water, chokes off the sunlight on the forest floor, reducing plant life for birds and wildlife to feed. Over time, this creates an unhealthy forest. Ideally, by thinning out our overstocked forest, we can create a more bio-diverse forest with lower tree mortality.

Portions of the “Zone of Defense” have already been created. Thanks to the diligence of the U.S. Forest Service the work is ongoing. This work is projected to take several years to complete.